Nicholas Leonard: Clegg the biggest loser as Cameron soaks up acclaim at home

Nicholas Leonard: Clegg the biggest loser as Cameron soaks up acclaim at home

Independent.ie

There will be extraordinary scenes of rapturous euphoria in the Commons today as right-wing Conservative MPs acclaim the prime minister, David Cameron, for his unprecedented decision to use the British veto on a new EU treaty.

There will be extraordinary scenes of rapturous euphoria in the Commons today as right-wing Conservative MPs acclaim the prime minister, David Cameron, for his unprecedented decision to use the British veto on a new EU treaty.

There are cynics at Westminster who think the dramatic confrontation in Brussels was plotted in advance by Mr Cameron and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France when they had a private meeting earlier last week.

The outcome certainly leaves the two of them as the big short-term winners. Mr Cameron's position as party leader has been underpinned for as long as he wants to keep the job and Mr Sarkozy has not only cemented his relationship with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, but has also set Mr Cameron up as the man to blame if the latest fudged manoeuvres to hold the eurozone together fail to do the trick.

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